Red Truth
by AdmHawthorne
Summary: Emma and Regina talk about the future, one of Emma's many skills, and apple trees. Can be read as a stand alone. In the 'Better Option' universe. Followup to "Familial Embarrassments." Swan Queen


**In the same universe as 'Better Option,' 'Wickedly Evil Fire Starter,' 'Rumors and Mutual Self Destruction,' 'She has Her Cake,' 'A Touch of Blackmail,' 'Keep Score,' and 'Familial Embarrassments.'**

**Characters aren't mine. They belong to ABC, Disney, and other assorted entities of importance. I gain nothing from writing these stories but the fun of doing it. Please don't sue me.**

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"Emma, what _are_ you doing," Regina asked as she stepped off the back porch and made her way to the newly planted apple tree in the backyard.

"I'm trying to decide what to name the little guy," the blonde replied in a contemplative tone as she squatted next to the sapling. "I used to call the other tree Rojo, but I don't think that fits this little guy, do you?"

The brunette quirked an eyebrow. "You named my apple tree?"

"What? You _didn't_ have a name for your apple tree? I thought it was like a second child to you or something." Rolling onto her heels, Emma pushed back until she was sitting on the ground beside the little tree with her legs stretched out in front of her.

Regina rolled her eyes and released a heavy sigh. "Why Rojo?"

"It means red in Spanish, and, when I first came into town, I mentally called you 'that Hispanic Bitch,' so it wasn't really much of a stretch to give the tree a Spanish name, you know?"

The older woman groaned. "And you decided to name my tree because why, exactly?"

"Because…" Emma shrugged as she looked up at the other woman. "I don't know why. I just did. I guess I felt kind of bad after I hacked off that one branch, and then, when he started to die…" She scrunched her face up at the memory of the once magnificent tree falling into a slow, painful death. "I think I got attached to him, sort of like his owner." She winked, giving a playful little smirk.

"You do realize that I am not technically Hispanic," Regina asked as she stepped over the sheriff's legs and settled on the grass beside the younger woman, opposite the sapling.

"Well, yeah, I know that _now_, but, _at the time_, it's not like I actually believed everyone were fairytale characters from a completely different land. Besides, you have to admit that you _do_ look Hispanic. I mean, you could pass out there in the real world." Emma turned to look at the woman beside her. "In all that time you were stuck here, did you ever think about learning another language?"

Regina chuckled. "Are you asking me if I speak Spanish?"

"Maybe?" The blonde's eyes sparkled with a touch of embarrassment. "Kind of? Yes?" She chuckled at herself. "I think it'd be _really_ hot if I could manage to get you to start speaking in a different language when I do that thing you really like me to do with my tongue." For added effect, she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

The brunette tilted her head back, a genuine laugh rolling out into the wide open space of their backyard. "So is _that_ the fantasy you've been secreting away from me? You want me to curse in a different language when we're having sex?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound very sexy, does it? But, yeah, I _may_ have fantasized about you breaking out into Spanish because you were just way too into whatever it was I was doing to you. What? Don't look at me like that! I was going through a dry spell back then, and _you_ try living with Mary Margaret Blanchard and _not_ looking for a little bit of fantasy to counter the amount of bad luck in the relationship department she was having."

Regina's smile turned a touch evil. "Yes, she _did_ have a time trying to find someone who wasn't a…"

"Douche?" The blonde sighed. "When you want to really make someone miserable, you go all out. I'll give you that. I think the worst was Whale." She shuddered. "He's so greasy."

"Well, that's all in the past. Now we have Snow back with her Prince Charming, another little Charming soon to be walking, and all the sickeningly sweet declarations of them always finding each other that one could stomach and then some." The older woman sneered as she thought about it. "I really hate that phrase," she growled, eyes narrowing as some sort of mental rant ran through her mind.

"So," Emma drew the word out, face full of mirth, "if I were to, say, lose you in the supermarket, and then finally see where you are, you probably wouldn't be down for me rushing up to you and saying something like, 'Regina, there you are! I was so worried I'd never see you again, but I should have known better. I will _always_ find you!"

Regina huffed. "For just suggesting that, I should make you sleep on the sofa for the next week."

"Aww, but, sweetheart, then I couldn't do that thing you really like with my…"

"Really, Emma? You know, there are people in this world that would not put up with your abuse."

"Isn't that _my_ line?" The blonde laughed, turning to look at the little apple tree again. "But, seriously, this little guy needs a name so that, when our grandchildren come over, we can tell them to go play under whatever his name is going to be and stop bugging us."

"Grandchildren?" Regina's voice went up a tick as her eyebrows rose in surprise. "You think we'll have grandchildren?"

"Why not?" Emma turned back to the older woman. "Henry is going to grow up one of these days, and I'm hoping he finds someone who makes him as happy as I _think_ I make you, and, if we're lucky, they'll decide to have kids. Don't you want grandchildren to spoil?"

"Well," Regina paused, eyes glazing over for a moment. "I've never actually considered it." She tilted her head to the side in thought. "I suppose I've never thought of Henry in terms of an adult."

"Yeah, it's hard to see him as anything other than the little kid who showed up at my door in Boston, but he _is_ growing up, and, honestly, I want grandchildren. I want to take them to the park, and tell them wild stories about places that have knights and queens and stuff, and then I want to feed them a bunch of sugar and caffeine before we hand them back over to their parents for the night."

"Who says you don't know how to be evil?" The brunette smiled, considering the idea. "I do miss Henry as a small child. He was always a little precocious, but," she glanced at the woman beside her, "I suppose he came by that honestly. Grandchildren would certainly fill that void."

"And we could avoid all the hard work," Emma happily pointed out. "I've never really had a desire to change a poopy diaper."

"It's about as pleasant as you think it is," Regina confirmed with a nod. "So we need a name for our little sapling?"

The younger woman smiled brightly. "Yeah! Something really awesome and sort of funny."

"Why does the tree have to be male? Why not female? We could call her Scarlett."

"Scarlett? You mean like Scarlett O'Hara?" Emma made a face. "So what? On days you're having a really crappy time, you can come out here, stand underneath her, and declare that, as God is your witness, you'll never go hungry again?"

"Or I could just patiently remind myself that tomorrow is another day," Regina replied dryly. "There's also the Scarlett Witch."

"No, no more witches. We have enough witches in the family, thank you." The sheriff adamantly shook her head in the negative.

"She's not actually a witch, but, fine. I see your point." Regina sighed. "What about Lana?"

Emma turned to stare at the other woman. "Where did _that_ name come from?"

"It means 'calm as still waters." The brunette shrugged. "I've always thought it a lovely name, and I would hope our tree was a place of calmness."

"Poetic, but I'm not feeling it." Emma frowned, turning back to look at the little tree. "What about Elsa?"

The older woman snorted. "I thought we agreed to stay away from Disney princesses."

"Just hear me out," the blonde said, once again turning to catch the other woman's eye. "In Spanish, I think it means truth."

"Truth?" Regina pursed her lips in thought, leaning forward to really look at the sapling that sat quietly in the dirt. Speaking mostly to herself, she murmured quietly, "We have had so much deception in this town." Her face twitched ever so slightly. "And in my life."

"But our relationship isn't a deception, and our family isn't a lie, and, like this little tree, I hope that what we've planted for us and for our family will grow strong under our care." Emma cleared her throat, face blushing slightly. "Sorry, I think that was the Charming coming out in me."

"No, it's… it's…" Regina pulled back to lean over and place a chaste kiss on the younger woman's lips. "I like it."

A smile blossomed across Emma's face. "Yeah?"

"Yes." Nodding, Regina stood up as she looked once again at the sapling. "Elsa it is." She stepped over Emma to kneel beside the tree, reaching out to run a gentle hand over a small branch. "I hope you'll be very happy here, Elsa, and I apologize ahead of time for our grandchildren. No doubt they'll be as difficult as Emma is now."

"Funny." The woman in question moved to stand and then helped the brunette to stand. "Want to go inside?"

"Yes. I know that look, Ms. Swan," Regina said in a teasing voice as they headed toward the house. "What are you planning?"

Emma shrugged. "Be honest with me. You _can_ speak Spanish, can't you?"

With a heavy sigh to indicate how tiring the topic was, Regina nodded. "Yes. I had plenty of time to expand my knowledge base when I was essentially reliving the same day over and over again."

The younger woman practically started skipping to the backdoor. "I _knew _it!" Coming to a stop with a little hop, she opened the door. "And now I know what I'm going to do for the rest of the day until Henry is due back from Justin's place."

"Oh?" Regina stepped inside the house. She waited by the kitchen island as Emma followed behind. "What is that?"

With a devilish smile, Emma moved forward in a smooth motion to capture the brunette's lips with her own. After a few long, delicious moments of kissing and being kissed, she pulled back to push the older woman up onto the island. "Try to make you scream out something in Spanish," she purred as she ran her hand into the brunette's hair and pulled to one side to expose Regina's neck. "You game," she asked before starting to nibble a trail across the skin she'd just exposed.

Regina moaned, letting her hands find purchase on Emma's shoulders. "You're cleaning the countertop," she managed to get out before gasping as teeth nipped at the sensitive spot just behind her ear.

"Totally worth it," the younger woman replied as she pushed the brunette back and started attempted one of many for the afternoon.

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**Sorry, this one turned out to be a little sappy. Thank you for reading. As always, reviews are appreciated.**


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